Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Photo Gallery Round the Cairngorms

After three weeks away in the North Sea on a heavy lift barge I got home to some decent weather so have just been for a lap of the Cairngorms; Donside, Lecht, Nethy Bridge, Coylumbridge, Feshie Bridge, Ruthven, Newtonmore, Dalwhinnie, Dunkeld, Blairgowrie, Braemar, Gairnshiel, Banchory and home by the South Deeside road.
Got some good dramatic sky and even got some rain at the Drumochter Pass. It was a stroke of luck that I had my (new camera with me otherwise nobody would have believed that it can rain in the Highlands in the spring.


Actual, genuine, non-AI generated, highland rain in Drumochter.


On the run down Glen Clunie to Braemar.


On the road from Crathie to Gairnshiel.


The ruins of Ruthven Barracks,

You are nuts but my God thank you for the glorious pictures

Thanks for the efforts .. is it true to say : “ The early bird catches the empty road “… Enjoy

Many thanks for sharing the story of your recent trip and the wonderful images you captured in the process, Red 3.

Lola_4/4, it seems in the more populated parts of the UK when hoping to find a bit of traffic free Tarmac, as in comedy, timing is everything... ? (-:

I guess even in the North of Scotland some roads can be busier than they once were, the traffic perhaps increasing over the years perhaps due in part to the purchase of Skibo Castle by Richard Desavery a couple of decades or so back, and then inviting guests to drive their high performance cars in Scotland. I remember seeing car transporters unloading a variety of high end sports cars at Glasgow airport, where the fortunate few would fly in from London, then drive up to Skibo to enjoy all that was on offer on the quiet roads around the North, part of which would be the journey to and from....?

I even managed a bit of that myself around a similar time, though a somewhat less salubrious version with some Porsche pals, we based ourselves at Aultbea, to enjoy driving the roads which Desavery and his guests made the general populace aware of, given the effect of burgeoning interweb to in time become known as the NC 500, and a bucket list target for many a sports car owner, and baby boomer with a camper van... Such is life..?

I have posted pics of our Aultbea adventure which my good lady and I enjoyed in our +8 whilst in company with the Porsches, I even posted a few pics here some time back.. Unfortunately I have not returned to the North West, but have read on forums, that once again timing can provide a different experience if one chooses to visit outside the more usual holiday periods, though even at that, choosing the right time of day to be driving, such as dawn and dusk, or usual evening meal times, to enjoy particular sections of specific roads can work even in tourist hot spots. last Dec 25th, I drove up to Glencoe, I had the roads almost exclusively to myself, thus even the tourist hot spots can be found relativly free of traffic if you time things to your advantage...? (-;

Living in Scotland`s busy central belt, I feel fortunate in that I can find almost traffic free and interesting Tarmac, if I can reasonably choose the time to head out in the hope of an enjoyable drive..(-:

Worth a try..?

Those barracks are epic, just look right. The Highlands is all about timing. We go next week, which is a week early for us, but even a week later last year was deserted on the NC500. Mile after mile of empty roads is a dreamworld for people 'in the South'. It sucks us back up every year, twice a year, because we love solitude, and empty roads.

And Scotland like this doesn't really start until you get past Perth, so always remember that.

Dave - you need to spend some time on Fair Isle as I have, it is just the best place ever for us anti crowd people and the scenery is breathtaking.

When you come into land it's like landing on a wedge of cheddar.

Beautiful unspoilt island and folk.

My mate from Shetland had shipped hs car, caravan and boat down for the month and I grabbed a week with him and his family whilst I was working on Orkney, yup another beautiful unspoilt place as is Shetland and her myriad of islands all worth exploring.

As soon as you leave Cape Wrath and head North it gets spectacular and very varied.

On the timing is everything line of thought.... A friend who worked for a number of years in the South East of England had a colleague who had visited Scotland on a couple of occasions and said that he knew Scotland was a beautiful place, as he had seen it on postcards, though given the rain and mist on his visits he had not ever managed to se it for himself... !

On the other hand if interested in aspects of geography, you might find something worth learning in this circa 8 min YT vid...?

Stunning photos, the new camera was worth the purchase.
Happy Miles.